Henka no Kaze
by Miraomoi Akawarai
Summary: This is a story that takes Naruto and puts him in Sasuke's shoes. However, I am taking a different direction with this story, with a 'prelude' at the start. HnK contains: DarkNaruto, PowerfulNaruto, NaruSaku.
1. Prelude

_**Prelude**_

Blue eyes stared ahead, watching as four figures landed on the statue of the Shodaime Hokage. The eyes looked grimly at the four, as one, a silver haired man, stepped forward. The owner of the blue eyes shook their head, going into a battle stance. Nothing was said between the two men, but they both knew what had to be done. The man spoke up, "Why, Naruto? Why did you do this to us?"

The boy stared at the man, before answering, "Because, I desire to live." The boy then began to remember just what brought them to this, from the very first moment of meeting the Sannin, Orochimaru.

_Flashback_

Naruto growled as he faced down the snake-like man, who simply smiled. Naruto charged forward at the man, who simply stepped out of the way. The man then was behind Naruto, pinning him down with sheer strength. The man leaned down and whispered to the boy, "Would you like more power, boy? I can give you power, strength, and your dreams will be fulfilled."

Red chakra began to flare, causing the man to leap back, as the boy stood up and faced him.

"I'll do it."

The snake-like man smiled and nodded, leaving the boy with a few simple words.

"_You will know where to find me._"

_Present_

Naruto dived downed into the valley, followed by the four figures, each on his tail. As he hit the base, he went to the middle of the lake, turning to face the four, until they spread out around him in a square-like fashion. He shifted his right foot, before charging at a boy with raven black hair, smashing his elbow into the boy's gut. The boy that had been hit went flying back, into the valley walls, while the silver haired man charged at Naruto from behind. Naruto quickly turned, only to see lightning. Naruto cursed, knowing the technique all too well. His eyes widened as it got closer, memories of seeing it for the first time flashing back.

_Flashback_

Naruto stared ahead at his enemy for the Chunin Exams, Uchiha Sasuke. The two were rivals and now enemies for the exams. When the signal was given, the two charged at each other and started throwing kicks and punches at each other, until Naruto swung around and smashed his left leg into Sasuke's back. Sasuke caught himself on the ground, gritting his teeth in the mean time. Naruto landed, as he undid wrappings around his hands, to reveal a fox's head tattoo on his right palm. He bit his thumb, drawing blood over the tattoo and formed the hand seals that made several shinobi widen their eyes, when a certain technique was said

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**" came the voice of Naruto, as smoke rose from where he was. When it cleared, there was Naruto and two foxes. One fox was black, a little larger than most full grown nin-dogs, and a white fox at the same size. Sasuke's eyes widened as the foxes charged at him, without Naruto saying a thing. Sasuke prepared to stop the two foxes, until he felt a presence behind him and turned to see Naruto. The next moment, a fist slammed into Sasuke, sending him crashing and rolling into the ground.

Sasuke slowly got up, glaring at Naruto, before leaping back onto the wall at a higher position and putting his hand in an odd position.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he felt chakra gathering to Sasuke's open palm. He motioned to the two foxes, which went back to being at his side. When Sasuke's technique was ready, Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke charged down the wall. He cursed and began forming hand seals. The foxes growled, as their fur began to 'glow' with chakra.

Both boys yelled out the name of their technique at the same time

"**CHIDORI!**"

"**SHOUHEKI: SANRYOUKYOU!**"

_Present_

As Naruto was struck through by the technique, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. This was the **Kage Bunshin **technique, a favorite of the young boy's arsenal of techniques he knew. Naruto watched from the top of the valley as he sighed, shaking his head. He turned, beginning to walk away. He looked ahead, just walking away from the valley. He would have made it a little further, had a blur of pink not stopped him. In his way stood a pink haired girl, who was crying and extending her arms out, to stop him.

"Why…why did you have to leave Konoha, Naruto?" spoke the young girl, who held her head down as she sobbed, still trying to stop him. Naruto could only stare at her as he removed his white wrappings. He discarded them to the side, not saying a thing as he walked forward, chakra flaring around his hands. The young girl stayed there, defiant to the end, as she heard Naruto approach. She felt hands touch her arms and push them down with little struggle. She then felt a hand cup her chin and lift her head up.

Emerald eyes met a grim gaze from sapphire eyes in friendly nature for perhaps the last time.

Naruto stared at the girl and spoke his final words to his past crush, the girl he adored in secret, and the one thing that had kept him from destroying people who had hurt him.

"Let go of your feelings, for I can't return them."

Naruto then let go of her, and moved past her as the silver haired man was dashing at him.

Naruto glanced back, as he smiled a grim smile at his former crush and his former sensei. The man stopped, knowing the gaze and smile too well and for once, could only nod.

"Goodbye, Hatake Kakashi. Tell the elders the truth."  
With those words, Naruto was gone.

_Glossary:_

**_Chidori - _**

This technique channels a large amount of lightning chakra to the user's hand. The amount of chakra is so great that it becomes visible. The high concentration of electricity produces a sound reminiscent of many birds chirping, hence the name. Once the technique is completed, the user charges forward and thrusts the Chidori into the target. This produces heavy amounts of damage that is usually fatal. This technique is classified as an assassination technique because of the speed at which it is performed, despite the loud noise it produces.

**Kuchiyose no Jutsu -**

A **Summoning Technique** is a space–time jutsu that allows the summoner to transport animals across long distances instantly.

**Shouheki: Sanryoukyou -**

Barrier: Prism is a technique made by Uzumaki Naruto during his years in Konoha. It took him months to perfect it, but in its current state, the technique allows itsself to stop one A rank technique. The technique sacrifices two fox summons to form a giant prismatic barrier in front of Naruto. After enough hits, it shatters.


	2. Mischief: Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

The sun shined upon a small town on the borders of Rice Field country, as the citizens began to wake. The day seemed to be getting to what could be a better start then any they had for the past three years. Some kids ran out into the streets, playing with a bouncy ball as some parents stepped out, looking to the sun, smiling and sighing breaths of relief.

Meanwhile, a man in a bamboo hat began walking the streets. His foot steps stopped as the ball the kids were kicking around stopped at his feet. The man, now noticed to be garbed in a black hakama with a sword attached to his hip. The man glanced down to the kids and leaned down to the height level of the kids. He tipped the bamboo hat, revealing soft sapphire eyes and a soft smile.

"Please be careful where you kick the ball." spoke the man, who put the bamboo hat back on his head.

The man continued his way, as his left hand traveled to the hilt of his sword. He glanced to his sides, watching the weary gazes of the citizens. The man sighed, shaking his head and coming to a complete stop. He glanced back, noticing a group of men following him with 'weapons', if you could call them that, at the ready. He sighed and shook his head, turning to face them.

"You are unwelcome here" spoke one of the men.

"I am merely passing through" replied the man in the hat.

"Shut up, we know who you are and who you work for." spoke another man from the group.

The man in the bamboo hat sighed as he took off his hat. Blonde locks fell down against his face, as sapphire eyes stared at the group of men. He reached for his sword at the side, as one of the men charged forward blindly.

"D-Die, bastard!" screamed the man.

The life of the man was cut short as a blade cut into him, digging into his side. The blonde haired man, now shown to really be a teenage boy, drew the blade back and grasped it with his right hand, as he stared at the group of men scowling and clenching their teeth. His gaze, void of emotions, watched their every move. Finally, the group of men charged the boy, only to meet the same fate. The boy cleaned his sword and sheathed it, shaking his head as he moved past the bleeding corpses of the men.

"Let this be another warning, I am here on my own accord, not because my sensei sent me here. Force my hand, and you will meet the same fate as those men." spoke the young boy as he walked away.

**Moments later, at Otogakure**

The boy walked through hallways to reach the lab of his sensei's medical helper and one man he felt that could be a true potential challenge. The boy walked into the lab, digging into his hakama and placing it on a table. He glanced to the owner of the lab, who turned around in his chair and smiled.

"Back so soon, Naruto-kun?" spoke the man

"Yes. Some of the townspeople attacked, so I left before the entire town would attack." spoke Naruto, being the identity of the boy.

"Very well. Orochimaru-sama wishes to see you." spoke the man.

"Understood. Thank you, Kabuto-san." spoke Naruto, who bowed before exiting the lab.

**Meanwhile...**

In the village known as Konohagakure, within the Hokage Building, a blonde haired woman was reading through some new information when a group of five figures walked in. The woman looked up and nodded, sitting back in the chair when the door was closed.

"We have new information regarding the location of Orochimaru's base." spoke the woman.

All five figures nodded, though a girl with pink hair clenched her fists hearing the Snake Sannin's name. The blonde haired woman noted this, before glancing over the five. She knew the mission she was going to give them was going to be a rough one.

"You are to infiltrate the base, take out as many minions of Orochimaru, and retrieve information that may be vital. The chances of you running into Naruto are high, so that is why I urge you not to bother fighting him. Orochimaru will have taught him various things and...knowing what power he could tap into..." spoke the blonde haired woman as she shifted her eyes down to a Bingo Book to her left.

"But he is our teammate, Hokage-sama!" spoke the pink haired girl.

"Was, Sakura. He -was- your teammate until he left for Orochimaru. Now, he is a missing-nin." spoke the blonde haired woman.

The three youngest nodded, as the Hokage motioned for them to leave. This left the Hokage with two men, one being Hatake Kakashi and the other a mysterious man, dressed in typical jounin gear but wearing a faceplate over his face. The Hokage looked at them both, staring hard for a moment.

"Yamato, you are the only hope if Naruto is to use any of Kyuubi's chakra." spoke the Hokage.

"Understood, Tsunade-sama." spoke Yamato, who nodded towards the Hokage, Tsunade.

"Kakashi, Keep Sakura and Sasuke in check. We can't have this mission going to hell because of that girl's unending crush for Naruto." spoke Tsunade.

"Understood, Tsunade-sama." spoke Hatake Kakashi, who left with Yamato after a simple nod from Tsunade.

Tsunade sighed, pulling the Bingo Book over and flipping to Naruto's page.

"Minato...Kushina...I'm sorry for failing you."

**Back at Otogakure...**

Naruto walked into Orochimaru's arena, having located him there. He approached his sensei from behind, looking into the arena to note the fighters trying to earn the acceptance of Orochimaru. Orochimaru glanced to his left and then back to the arena.

"How did everything go, Naruto-kun?" spoke Orochimaru, with a hint of curiosity.

"Another group of men tried to attack, Lord Orochimaru, but Kageoni here cannot be stopped." spoke Naruto, who patted his sword's hilt.

"Good, good. Tommorrow will be the next step in your training." spoke Orochimaru, who turned to leave the Arena.

"Understood, Orochimaru-sama." spoke Naruto, turning to bow to Orochimaru. Both men left the Arena to go their seperate ways for the time being.

Naruto reached his room, removing the sheathed sword and putting it against a wall in his room. He then removed his sandals and took a seat on a blood red rug on his floor and got into a meditative stance, closing his eyes.

**Within Naruto's Mind**

Naruto approached the cage of the Kyuubi, who stared at him with its blood red eyes. The Kyuubi grinned as its host approached. The two had a stare off for a moment, before Kyuubi's chakra wrapped around the fox and changed the fox into a woman of fair age and grand beauty.

"I am here to further the training, Kyuubi-sama." spoke Naruto, who bowed before the human form of Kyuubi. Kyuubi smiled and approached Naruto. Her sharp red nails danced across his left cheek, as she nodded.

"Good, good. You are ready for Stage 2 of the training." spoke Kyuubi, her voice seductive at every word. She moved back as red chakra bubbled at her feet. She raised her hands as she formed a throne, taking a seat down in it.

"Are you ready, Naruto-kun, to feel the anguish and pain required for this next step?." spoke the Kyuubi.

Naruto stared at the bijuu before him, silent for a moment.

"I am ready."

At that, red chakra wrapped around Naruto like a cocoon.


	3. Mischief: Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

In the forests surrounding Otogakure, five figures moved through the trees. They were moving at a quick pace, only stopping to reinforce their plan. As they landed on the outer trees, they looked upon the entrance of Otogakure. One of the figures, a pink haired girl, clenched their fists as she looked upon the entrance to the underground village.

"Calm yourself, Sakura." came the voice of the masked man beside her.

"But...he is in there, Kakashi-sensei." spoke Sakura.

"You know our mission, Sakura. Naruto is not a priority." spoke Hatake Kakashi, the sensei of Team 7.

As the team began to prepare to infiltrate, they felt a large wave of killer intent come through the entrance of the village. This had even Hatake Kakashi shivering at the killer intent, but they continued on, leaping down into Otogakure and making quick pace. The team of five wandered down the halls, trying to find something that would relate to their mission.

**Meanwhile, deeper in Otogakure**

"They are here, Lord Orochimaru." spoke a voice from the dark of Orochimaru's chambers.

The snake sannin smiled to himself as he stood up, having finished his own bandages. He looked to the owner of the voice and the smile became a smirk as he looked upon his student and the only child who he thought could even bother to surpass him.

"Go and greet them, Naruto-kun." spoke Orochimaru as Orochimaru left to speak with Kabuto.

Those words were all Uzumaki Naruto needed to hear to leave, taking his time to walk down the hallways. The boy kept his eyes straight as he thought about the upcoming battle that would happen. Yet, he couldn't get a certain pink haired girl off his mind, no matter what. It confused him, and it also angered him. He had tried hard to sever all his ties, and yet the one tie he wanted to destroy the most remained.

As he turned a corner, he heard footsteps and knew that confrontation was about to happen. He continued to walk, as he began to reach the end of the corridor, as five figures turned to enter the corridor he was in. All five came to a stop, eyes widening. His eyes did not widen, simply gaze over the group.

**Moments before...**

Oto shinobi rushed at the five, but were quickly taken down by the five, as they moved down the dim hallways of the village. All five were steeled for whatever they may find, but Haruno Sakura prayed that they would find Uzumaki Naruto. She knew that Naruto belonged in Konoha, not in the grasp of that bastard snake. She gritted her teeth as she punched an Oto shinobi in the gut, knocking him out cold by the sheer force.

Hatake Kakashi noticed a dead end ahead and motioned for the team to take the next possible left. The shinobi nodded, taking a turn. However, they all came to a halt as a figure stepped into the dim light. All the eyes, except for the figure's eyes widened. Haruno Sakura gasped lightly as she saw who it was. Yet, none of them could believe their eyes.

**Now...**

Uzumaki Naruto stared, no emotions in his gaze, at his former team. He glanced to Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and finally Hatake Kakashi. He had little curiosity about the pale skinned one, and the other jounin. As he stared, he noticed Sakura taking a step forward, and his eyes met hers.

"Haruno Sakura." spoke Uzumaki Naruto in a surprisingly cold tone.

The tone stopped Sakura, surprised by the tone that came from Naruto's voice.

"Naruto-kun..." spoke Sakura, as she tried to get words out of her mouth, but she could not.

"What brings you to Otogakure, Hatake Kakashi?" spoke Naruto, as he turned his gaze to his former sensei.

"Sorry, Naruto, but I cannot disclose that." spoke Kakashi, as he reached for his headband covering his left eye. He could tell something would happen, and was taking the chance to prepare for a fight.

However, Uchiha Sasuke was the first to attack, forming hand seals, but he never got to finish them as Naruto was right in his face as he began the hand seals. Without any further move, Sasuke was on the ground, coughing and holding his gut. The sheer speed surprised the team, as Naruto turned, moving back to his original spot. He faced the team once more, saying nothing at the moment.

"Naruto-kun...please...come back with us..." pleaded Sakura, her emerald eyes showing concern and 'love' for Naruto.

Naruto shifted his gaze to her, giving her brief hope.

"No." spoke Naruto

"Naruto, please..." pleaded Sakura once more, but this only caused Naruto to laugh a hallow laugh, as he turned away from the team.

"Leave now, Team 7, before I am forced to kill you." spoke Naruto, who began to leave them.

However, Sasuke did not like the attack at all or Naruto's words, and with that he activated a jutsu that Naruto knew too well, and charged him. Naruto came to a stop as Sasuke got closer and thrusted the jutsu forward.

"**CHIDORI!**" roared Sasuke, as he thrusted the assassination technique forward at Naruto.

Naruto quickly turned and drew his sword. He threw it up to meet Chidori, as he muttered a technique.

"**Onipou: Oni no Kage!**" were the words muttered by Naruto, as the shadows on the wall, ceiling, and ground shifted.. Chidori went right through Naruto, as if he was a ghost, shocking the entire team. As Naruto sheathed his sword, he shook his head in a disappointed fashion. He turned, only to block Sasuke's taijutsu move for move. He sighed, throwing Sasuke into the wall, only to walk past him.

He heard footsteps and glanced back, only to see Sakura, though with tears in her eyes, flying at him with her right fist ready to hit him. He turned and caught the hand, as she slammed into him. He stared down at her, as she tried to hit him with her left fist. He stopped that too, only watching her cry against his hakama.

"I am not the same Naruto you cared for, Haruno Sakura." spoke Naruto.

"Shut up...I won't believe that." spoke Sakura, with a surprising harshness to her tone. As her tears subsided, she looked up at Naruto with a hardened gaze.

Naruto slowly let go of her fists, which was a bad move as he was caught off guard. Her right fist slammed into his chest, sending him flying through the walls, breaking a hole in a number of them.

Sakura glared ahead as she began to step forward, ready to fight Naruto if she must.

"Sakura, watch out!" yelled Kakashi.

Her eyes widened as she felt someone behind her.

"Bad move, Sakura."

She could barely turn before she was hit by something she could not see.

The last thing she saw was the brightness of blood red eyes.

_Glossary:_

**Onipou: Oni no Kage **(Shadow of the Demon) -

A technique used by Uzumaki Naruto, this technique allows Naruto to 'shift' out of the physical world long enough to dodge attacks like Chidori. The technique requires shadows, Naruto's sword, and timing to pull it off. Those with speed could easily get Naruto right as the technique cancels, however in a more advanced form, this technique could give Naruto time to get things ready for one of his higher up techniques.

**Author's Notes:**

So, the story has started its flow and I love the reviews already. I do plan to go for 1k+ words for each chapter. I intend to reach for 2k+ for a number of the chapters, but those may take a few weeks to get out.

The custom techniques will be spaced out evenly, but I think you all will love the ideas I am putting into Naruto's strength to make up for a major fact: He does not know Rasengan and may never know it. If anyone has ideas on how he may come to learn Rasengan, please send me a message.


	4. Mischief: Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

**A Day later...**

The sun rose on a small town outside of Otogakure. People were just waking up and setting up their shops, as well as getting into the day by day routine they always followed closely. They paid no heed to a figure sitting in a window of a hotel room. They knew why he was here and who was in that room.

**Within the room**

Haruno Sakura rolled over as the sun hit her eyes. When she realized that she wasn't in Otogakure anymore, her eyes shot open and she sat up straight, looking around, until she spied the one who she did not expect to see.

"Awake now, Sakura?" spoke the boy.

Sakura clenched her fists, getting up as she slowly stormed over to the window where the boy sat.

"Naruto...what did you do and why am I here?" growled out Sakura, who did not look happy at all.

Naruto merely glanced over to her as he motioned down to her body. This made Sakura stop as she looked down at herself and her eyes widened, she was healed up, when she had in-fact had a few bruises and possibly more from Naruto's attack that had knocked her out. She looked back up to Naruto, as he stood up. Their eyes met, but she could not pick any emotions from his gaze, which saddened her.

"I saved you, like it or not." spoke Naruto, in a monotone.

"Is that so?" inquired Sakura.

Naruto simply nodded, before moving past her and throwing on a cloak around him and his hakama. He glanced to Sakura as he watched her turn and then, in a surprise, pin him to the wall. He did not fight back, and he didn't know why. His body did not agree with his mind in any case, but her words surprised him, albeit he did not show it.

"Wherever you are going, I'm following." demanded Sakura, her eyes glaring into his.

"You are not bound to me, you should return to Konoha, Haruno-san." droned Naruto.

Sakura then pulled away, still glaring. She walked away a few steps before taking a swing at him, turning around to do so. However, he was not there when she swung, and she cursed as she felt someone behind her. Arms locked around her, keeping her restrained.

"Tsunade taught you well, but you still have much to learn, Haruno-san." Naruto mused.

"Grah! How dare you!" Sakura growled.

"Calm yourself, Haruno. You may have use yet." spoke Naruto.

Those words shocked Sakura, as Naruto let go of her and she whirled around to face him, his face still unreadable. She then sighed, rubbing her temples lightly as she gave in, not wanting to fight someone obviously out of her league. She then remembered something and looked to Naruto.

"What happened after I was knocked out?" inquired Sakura.

_Flashback_

As Sakura dropped, Naruto glanced behind him as a pale skinned man charged at him, sending ink-drawn creatures at him. Naruto simply cut them down, before meeting the man in a sword fight. The two clashed for a moment, before Naruto's blood red eyes flashed and the young man was thrown into the wall to the right. Naruto then sheathed his sword as he faced Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Yamato.

Yamato acted first, slamming his hands together as wood flew at Naruto. Naruto's eyes narrowed for a brief second as he went through his own hand seals and sucked in air, echoing the jutsu in his mind.

_**Katon: Kitsune Kokyuu!**_

Naruto then breathed out fire, and lots of it. It raged forward, burning away the wood. As the fire raged on, Naruto turned around and walked towards the unconscious Sakura. As he reached her, he heard a crackling that he knew too well. He glanced behind him and saw Hatake Kakashi charging at him with Raikiri. Naruto sighed as he turned, raising both his hands. Kakashi's Sharingan began to spin as he thrusted Raikiri at Naruto at the right distance.

"**Shouheki: Hogosha!**" shouted Naruto at the last moment.

An explosion ripped through Otogakure, as Raikiri met the barrier technique. Kakashi jumped out of the rising dust, watching the cloud. Both eyes widened as he saw an 'Oni' guarding Naruto. The oni, obviously part of the technique, began to fade away as Naruto's chakra spiked. The two had a stare down, before Kakashi charged in again, attempting to meet Naruto in Taijutsu.

The two met one another in kick and punch, moving at a matched speed. Kakashi began to pick up on something, however, and jumped away from Naruto. He covered his Sharingan as he stood straight up.

"Leave now, Hatake. Take the Uchiha and the other two with you." growled Naruto, as blood red chakra spiked around him.

"I see...so you do care." spoke Kakashi.

"Shut up and leave." Naruto snarled.

_Present_

Sakura's eyes widened as she heard what happened from Naruto, who simply stared at her. She then smiled to herself, knowing that her Naruto was still in there. She then shook herself out of those thoughts and nodded to herself. She knew what her decision was, and she was set on it. Now, she just had to tell Naruto.

"Very well, Naruto." spoke Sakura as she put her hands on her hips.

"I will travel with you, no questions asked. I don't care about the consequences." barked Sakura

Naruto showed no reaction to this, but inside he reeled in surprise from such a demanding Sakura. He couldn't believe Sakura would give up her life as a shinobi of Konoha just to be near him. He knew his life was dangerous and with his upcoming plans, he would hate himself if Sakura got hurt. He then shook those thoughts from his head. He had to break that bond, even he knew it deep inside.

_**Gaki...why did you bother to save her in the first place if you are trying to break the bond?**_

_Shut up, fox_

_**Admit it, you care for the pink haired bitch despite all things. You would of killed Hatake Kakashi and the others if they dared tried to take her back.**_

…

_**I rest my case, boy. Now, get moving**_

Naruto sighed inwardly, as he motioned to Sakura to follow him. The two walked out of the hotel as Naruto glanced over Sakura, musing for a moment. He then walked towards a tailor shop as he had a quick conversation with the owner. He looked to Sakura, and motioned her over.

"You are getting new clothes." spoke Naruto, with no room for questioning.

"Fine." spoke Sakura, but deep inside she didn't mind.

**Meanwhile, in Konohagakure**

"WHAT!" came a shout from the Hokage Building.

"Sakura is now in Naruto's grasp, Hokage-sama." spoke Kakashi.

Tsunade snarled as she placed both her hands on her desk. She really hated her ex-teammate now and possibly hated Sakura for being so stupid. Tsunade then sat back, scowling over the news.

"That stupid girl and her crush..." growled Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, if I may...I do not think Naruto has intentions to hurt her." piped Yamato

Tsunade gave Yamato a look and then looked to the two jounin. She sighed, knowing Yamato was telling the truth. She shook her head and stood up, walking behind her chair to the window. Tsunade knew what she had to do, to preserve Konohagakure and the safety of the village.

"I hate being Hokage in times like these." grumbled Tsunade.

"What will you do, Tsunade-sama?" inquired Yamato.

"The only thing I can do. Haruno Sakura is now a missing-nin." spoke Tsunade, with sadness in her tone and her eyes.

**Elsewhere...**

In a dark cave within Hi no Kuni, nine projections appeared upon rocks. Each one seemed to be cloaked in some form, and was of various shapes and sizes. One of the figures, having ringed eyes, shifted his right foot.

"We have located a number of the jinchuuriki, including the Nine Tails." droned the figure.

"Oh good, we finally get something to do." piped up another figure with sarcasm dripping in the tone.

"Quiet. You know which jinchuuriki is yours. Deidara and Sasori, you will start us off with the Ichibi." spoke the original figure.

"Hn." came two voices, followed by two figures disappearing.

One by one, the figures disappeared, until one was left, the first speaker.

"Soon, the world will feel pain..."

_Glossary_

**Katon: Kitsune Kokyuu (**Fire Element: Fox Breath**)**

One of the few Katon techniques used by Uzumaki Naruto, this technique requires breath control, needing just a few moments for the technique to be ready. When the technique is ready, Naruto will breathe out the hot flames, which will surge forward and destroy just about anything in its path.

**Shouheki: Hogosha (**Barrier: Guardian**)**

The second of six barrier techniques made by Uzumaki Naruto, this technique forms a medium sized 'Oni' (Demon) around Naruto. The oni is astral, however, and is only there to absorb an attack or two, depending on the attack's rank. This technique is a step up from Barrier: Prism

**Author's Notes:**

Here it is, part 1 of two of the first double chapter edition! Every now and then, I will be doing two chapters at once. This chapter is filled with juicy details, twists, and a small development on NaruSaku.

Yes, the Akatsuki have finally made their entrance, and I will do my best to portray them spot on from the anime/manga.

Short AN, but hope you enjoy and review!


	5. Mischief: Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

**Naruto and Sakura**

After the two had gotten new clothes, mostly for Sakura, they went on their way to exit the small town to reach a small waterfall within Ta no Kuni, where Naruto stopped. He bit his thumb and went through the needed hand seals to summon a small orange fox. Naruto leaned down, tying the scroll to the fox's neck.

"Take the scroll to Hajime-san and Roshi-dono." spoke Naruto to the fox.

"Will do, Naruto-sama." replied the fox as it darted off into the hills, running fairly quick.

Sakura arched an eyebrow, but would ask later about who those two people were. Naruto then turned to her, his unreadable eyes gazing at her for a moment, to which she blushed at, before he looked out to the high sun. The silence between the two was awkward, until Naruto started walking down the hill by the waterfall.

"Come, Sakura. We'll need to reach the rendezvous point before the fox reaches them." spoke Naruto.

"Where are we meeting them? Inquired Sakura.

Naruto came to a stop, glancing back to her, before moving forward. His lack of an answer ticked off Sakura, but she knew he had a reason, so she kept quiet about it. Slowly, Naruto began to speed up and Sakura gasped as she felt him grab her hand and throw her on his back.

"Faster this way. We need to reach Nami no Kuni." droned Naruto.

Sakura could only meep, as she held onto Naruto, blushing a bit at the fact he was carrying her. Naruto continued to surprise her as his speed increased beyond most shinobi's speed, as he jumped off a few trees to get air and more velocity. Sakura closed her eyes, snuggling into Naruto's back.

She did not get to see a small smile force its way onto Naruto's lips.

**Meanwhile, in Otogakure**

Orochimaru sat in his chair, scowling at a scroll's contents. His student had destroyed part of Oto no thanks to his ex-teammate's blasted shinobi. He stood up, leaving his room as he stormed down to Kabuto's lab. As he barged in, the silver haired subordinate looked up in confusion, only to sigh when Orochimaru stood behind him.

"The boy has grown stronger then I expected, Kabuto." growled Orochimaru.

"He was trained by you, Orochimaru-sama." piped Kabuto.

Orochimaru nodded at that as he paced a bit. He then had a ingenious idea, as a smirk crawled up his lips. The idea he had in mind was perfect, and Naruto would play his part all too well.

"Kabuto, I think its time we pay a few folks visits." sneered Orochimaru as he left the room, leaving Kabuto to chuckle, before going back to his work.

**At the same time, in Tsuchi no Kuni...**

On a high cliff, a red haired figure sat while a white haired figure laid down, snoring. The red haired figure sighed as he poked the white haired man in the side, causing him to jump with a yelp. The red haired man shook his head as the white haired man glared at him.

"Roshi-san, what the fuck was that for?" yelled the white-haired one.

"Simmer down, Hajime. We need to get moving." spoke Roshi, who stood up as he finished speaking.

Hajime groaned as he stood up, nodding lightly. The two men turned and began to walk away, both quiet on the walk that began. Hajime glanced around as he held his hand up, causing Roshi to stop. Roshi then narrowed his eyes as six Iwa nin landed around them. Hajime grinned at this, as he drew out a scroll, summoning a scythe from it, spinning it around as he got back to back with Roshi.

"Looks like we get to have fun!" yelled Hajime.

"Troublesome Iwagakure..." muttered Roshi.

As the six shinobi charged, Roshi's eyes flashed green as lava bubbled at his feet.

Three shinobi met their end at the fist of a ape made of lava.

**Elsewhere, with Naruto and Sakura...**

Naruto jumped out of a forest, landing on hard rock as he continued to run with Sakura on his back. He jumped onto a statue's head and jumped off it onto the one across from it. It was then that he realized he was in the Valley of the End. He sighed lightly as he continued to run, moving into the forest.

"Ne...Naruto-kun...who are the two men we are meeting?" inquired Sakura as she opened her eyes.

Naruto glanced back to the girl on his back and then looked ahead. He did not answer for a moment, wondering if he should tell her or not. However, in the end, he decided to let her in on a few more of his secrets.

"Sanzouba Hajime, a ex-Shinobigatana Nananin Shu and the one who taught me how to use Kenjutsu and Ninjutsu in the way that he does.. I met him during a mission, and well...he is an ally of mine now." spoke Naruto.

Sakura's eyes widened, hearing those words. So Naruto was going to meet a ex-Shinobigatana Nananin Shu, for one. Yet, from what he said, they were allies. Sakura mused over this, wondering just how much truly had changed about her crush over the three years.

"Roshi is a man like me." spoke Naruto, grabbing Sakura's attention with his words.

"What do you mean, Naruto-kun?" inquired Sakura.

"He holds power beyond the comprehension of normal shinobi. He can combine Katon and Doton into something shinobi know as Youton." answered Naruto.

"W-What!" spoke a surprised Sakura.

"Roshi is the one who taught me a few close secrets of mine and trained me when I was out on missions for Orochimaru." spoke Naruto.

Sakura nodded to herself as Naruto continued on, taking a different road to get to Nami no Kuni. Both were silent, for the time being. Naruto sighed as he glanced to the sky, praying that the message got to Roshi and Hajime safely. Naruto knew he would need their help for what he had been planning for two years, or just close to that.

**Moments later, in Kaze no Kuni**

As a sandstorm began to move through Kaze no Kuni, two cloaked figures moved across the sand, that indicated they were close to Sunagakure by some means. The two figures wore bamboo hat, with white strings that hung from the hat. One was a blonde haired man, the other was a masked, short and hunched over man. The blonde haired man had long hair, covering one of his eyes, while his other eye remained visible, for the most part.

As the walls of Sunagakure came into sight, the cloaks became more visible. With red lining, the black cloaks were fairly plain except for red clouds all around the cloak. These cloaks covered the men and their bodies, hiding their full identity for the most part. As they noticed the walls, they came to a stop.

"Hn, I'll let you handle it from her, Sasori-dono." spoke the blonde haired man.

"Hmph. I hate waiting. I hope he makes it quick." spoke the other man.

They stood there, waiting for some sort of signal. The blonde haired man smirked, seeing some sort of carnage going on in the distance.

"Lets go, Deidara." spoke Sasori.

"Hn." replied Deidara.

The two continued their way to the 'gates' of Sunagakure, to notice one single man and a valley of dead bodies. The man went to his knees before the two men, bowing in all respects. Sasori glanced down to the man, not surprised that this was all done by him. Deidara only sighed lightly, sad that he didn't get to show his art. But he knew this was a better way for the entire task.

"I have done as requested, Sasori-sama." spoke the kneeling man.

"Good. Now, head to the cave." demanded Sasori.

"As you wish, my master." spoke the man, who then stood up and began to walk away.

"Hn. Shall I handle the rest, Sasori-dono?" inquired Deidara.

"Just don't make me wait, Deidara." spoke Sasori.

The blonde haired man reached into a pouch at his side as he walked forward, grinning.

**Roshi and Hajime...**

Lava slowly flowed off the cliff edges as Hajime cleaned his scythe, laughing lightly. He glanced to Roshi, who was brushing off his hands. The two had just slaughtered six Iwa shinobi who were after Roshi. They had made quick work of the six, due to the skill level of the two compared to the six shinobi.

"Hah, that was some good fun." spoke Hajime.

"I hate when I have to kill people just being used." grumbled Roshi.

Hajime chuckled as he sealed his scythe back into the scythe, the two men starting to walk away again. Hajime then glanced to the right, then the left. Finally, he just looked up to the sky while they were walking. The two men then glanced at each other, nodding at each other. With no further warning, they sped up into running. They jumped from rock to rock as they traveled through Tsuchi no Kuni, slowly heading to the border.

"I wonder how Naruto-san is doing." piped Hajime.

"Who knows. The kid sure was unpredictable in whatever he did." mused Roshi.

Those words elicited a chuckle from both men as they continued on their way. They had both seen Naruto's true unpredictable side and what intelligence laid underneath the masks he had put up. They had both shattered Naruto's masks and made a promise to help Naruto with whatever he needed help with. Roshi and Naruto had bonded like family, in some sense, while Hajime had become a part of that 'family' after meeting Roshi. The two were like older brothers that Naruto never had, and they liked it that way. They hated to admit it, but the kid left good impressions on them.

Which didn't help when a fox's belly smacked right into Roshi's face.

"...Haha!" yelled Hajime.

"NAAARUUUTOOOOOO!"

**Author's Note:**

Haha, ended with a funny (hopefully) ending to a chapter. Well folks, time to go into overdrive with the next few chapters. Mischief is one of those 'quick' arcs that gets the ball rolling. While I still have a while to go before Mischief is over, I will be pushing on 2 k to 2.5k words per chapter for the next arc, maybe up to 3.5 if I'm lucky xD.

Later in the story, I will delve into a brief profile on Hajime. He is an interesting character, if I might say so myself.

Enjoy and review!


	6. Mischief: Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

_Three weeks have passed since the events of Chapter 4_

The bright sun that signified morning raised high above Nami no Kuni on this specific morning. The vast seas of the sea-based country shimmered when the sun rose. In the nearby small village, the small community began to wake up. At least, most of them started to rise to the morning activity.

Within a home at the edge of the village, there laid a mess of blond and pink hair under a pair of sheets. With a groan, the blond mess awoke and found him with a happy pink haired female snuggled into him. The blond sighed as he remembered that Sakura was having nightmares, and so he allowed this. He knew that she enjoyed the comfort of him despite how he seemed to be so devoid of emotions around her. He slowly pulled from her, tucking the sheets around her neatly as he went and took a shower.

As he stripped in the bathroom, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and stared hard at it. He was Uzumaki Naruto, a traitor to Konoha and now he had the company of a young woman who was devoted to him. He ran a hand through his spiky hair and finished getting his clothes off. He turned on the warm water and stepped inside the shower. As he cleaned his hair and his body, his hands traced over his seal that kept Kyuubi imprisoned in him. This drew Naruto's thoughts to the ordeal of him being a jailor of a very powerful beast. Naruto's entire early life had been about survival when he was a child. When he had gotten to the rank of genin, he had developed a cold mask to keep himself strong.

Naruto's mind then travelled to the thoughts about the genin team he was on. The sensei, Hatake Kakashi, was a powerful shinobi with an implanted Sharingan. Naruto respected Kakashi's loyalty and strength that he used for Konohagakure. Under Kakashi's tutelage, Naruto had learned the basics for the shinobi and even had some personal chakra control training with him in the earlier days of the team formation. The first of the two genin Naruto was teamed with was Uchiha Sasuke, the last of his clan and a prodigy. The two had developed a rivalry that kept the two on their toes and helped both of them become skilled genin. While Sasuke had goals of revenge, Naruto had goals gaining the acknowledgement he had never gotten in his life before. They were two different ends of the spectrum and this is what Naruto liked about Sasuke. The other one, Haruno Sakura, had fallen for Naruto hard and was the one that fuelled Naruto to get stronger. In secret, Naruto had crushed on Sakura but told no one because he did not want to hurt her as he fell to the grasp of Orochimaru.

Stopping his thoughts there, he finished his shower and stepped out, drying himself off. After putting on the fresh clothing, he looked to his reflection in the mirror once more. Naruto wore a white hakama, but only with a right sleeve that covered his arm. The left sleeve had been customized to be non-existent. On the back of the top of the hakama was a flower surrounded by nine fox tails. The lower section of the hakama was crimson and he wore a black belt around it that kept the hakama neatly tied and kept together. His hands were wrapped in the same manner that Rock Lee wrapped his hands. His feet were wrapped the same, but also covered up by black socks and flat shoes. Attached to his right hip was his sheathed katana, which was the last thing that had been put to his clothing. ((Sort of like this: .com/gallery/24643714#/d1kdapb, but with modifications as mentioned above))

He walked out of the bathroom, only to see Sakura standing there with her hands on her hips with her eyes locked right on him as he exited. He stared at her with unmoving eyes as she walked up to him and put a hand to his chest and got right up and close to him.

"Thank you, Naruto. For last night." spoke Sakura quite cheerfully

Naruto merely nodded as he tried to make a step forward, but Sakura's strength had been concentrated to keep him from leaving. He cocked up an eyebrow at her as she smiled and then moved into hugging him. The gesture was surprising for the young blond, but he did not return it. As Sakura pulled from the hug and slipped past him into the bathroom, smiling to herself as she closed the door behind her. Naruto stood there, his eyes wide and his heart thumping inside his chest. He did not expect such a move and as such, he was experiencing the rush of blood as per the feelings he held for Sakura rushing head first to their respective areas.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he strode through the small home and tidied up before exiting the house. As he closed the door behind him, he heard a leaf crunch and his right hand instinctively went for his katana's hilt.

"Don't move, Uzumaki." barked an unknown and gruff voice.

Naruto, however, never did listen well as he turned on his heels and saw who was there. It was a small group of bounty hunters he had heard of. They went about hunting down any missing-nin in the bingo book for the money. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forward as the bounty hunter leader took a step forward. No words were shared when Naruto shot forward at them, drawing his katana. He quickly cut through two of the ten bounty hunters with his surprising speed before clashing with one of them in a sword fight. As two more bounty hunters jumped to ambush him, Naruto smirked and gripped the hilt of his blade tight.

"**Demon Arts: Midnight Storm**." muttered Naruto.

Spinning around with his sword, he expelled a whirlwind of demonic chakra, sending the attacking men flying outward away from him. Coming to a stop, he grinned and drew up his blade and sheathed it. He flexed his hands as he looked at the remaining bounty hunters. He had eliminated five of them at the start, leaving five more for his fun. As four of the five spread out around him, he glanced over to the house and then the bounty hunters and noticed one crucial thing.

The leader of these bounty hunters was inside the house.

Naruto's eyes narrowed and his hands went into a chain of hand seals. With no warning, fire sparked across his arms as he sucked in a breath of air, chakra flowing through him for a technique. As he lurched forward, the flames surged towards his maw.

_**Fire Release: Phoenix Storm!**_

The flame exploded outward and caught the other bounty hunters by surprise, giving Naruto time to burst into the house, only to see the leader of the bounty hunter gang holding Sakura captive. Naruto's eyes went wide, only to settle into a devoid of emotions sort of gaze. He settled himself with his arms at his side as he watched the leader smirk.

"You don't care about her, Uzumaki? Is she just another life for you to throw away?" remarked the man.

"You mistake my tranquillity for being uncaring. Let her go and I will let you live." droned Naruto as he removed the katana from his side, hilt and all, and tossed it to the side.

The man sneered and adjusted the kunai. However, he had left an opening as a shoulder smashed into his face, sending teeth flying as well as his body straight through the wall. The owner of the shoulder was none other than Haruno Sakura, who looked pissed off. At her attack, Naruto cocked up an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Nice hit, Haruno-san." drawled Naruto.

Sakura's only answer was to crack her knuckles and shoot out from the hole and go hunting for the man. She found him rubbing his face some feet away and she landed not too far from him. He looked to her and frowned. Pulling himself up, he brushed himself down and rolled his shoulders.

"You hit pretty hard, girlie." came the mocking voice of the bounty hunter leader.

"You underestimate me and her both." spoke Naruto

The man's eyes widened as he heard the voice of Uzumaki Naruto behind him so casually. Naruto shifted his place and drew his right fist back as chakra began to pour from him. Naruto's lips twisted into a feral grin for a moment as his pupils became the demonic slits they became when he was calling upon Kyuubi's power. His fist began to swirl with wind and flame both, which became a raging fire within moments.

The man looked towards Sakura, only to see her charging and his eyes went wide as dinner plates at the chakra flowing off her fist. He was about to move when Naruto grabbed him roughly by the shoulder.

"Ah, you are going nowhere. Take it like a man!"

Naruto and Sakura both sent their fists forward in a combination attack, both of them yelling out the technique's name at the same time.

"**Heaven and Earth Art: Crushing Fists!**"

_Moments later..._

Naruto and Sakura were on the road once more with Sakura having a satisfied look to her face. She glanced to Naruto and her lips twisted into a smile. She knew Naruto had fought valiantly against the bounty hunters and she knew that deep down, he had done it to protect her. What she didn't know is that he had intended to rush inside to protect her. She stepped closer to Naruto and planted her lips to his cheek in a quick peck. His reaction was priceless as she swore she saw him blush for the first time since meeting up with him after he left for Orochimaru.

Naruto, in the meanwhile, was trying to tame his raging emotions once more and stumbled once, earning a light giggle from Sakura. He shook off his stupor as best he can and set his eyes forward while his mind raced on and on about Sakura. If it wasn't for Sakura's gasp, he wouldn't have noticed two figures standing before them and blocking their path.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Long time no see, brat."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak when one of the figures, a red haired man, decided to appear right before Naruto and uppercut him. Naruto went flying up into the air, only to land on all fours with a grin.

"Hello, Roshi-sensei."


End file.
